Nancy Elizabeth Newton

Nancy Elizabeth Newton, neé Nancy Parker, passed away in her sleep during the night of January 4th, 2024, of natural causes. She was a resident at the Maristhill Nursing Home in Waltham, MA at the time of her passing. Born in Allegan, Michigan to Douglas and Margaret Parker, Nancy was a beloved daughter and the second born child of four. She is survived by her eldest sister Roberta Wenzel, her children Robert Newton and Deborah Ricciardi, 6 grandchildren (Marina, Sophia, Ty, Siena, and AJ Ricciardi, and Teddy Newton), and several members of her extended family including nephews and nieces.

Nancy grew up in Allegan, a small town in western Michigan. Allegan was home to many members of Nancy’s family, both immediate and extended. She grew up in a large household with 3 siblings (Roberta, Mark and Debbie) and regularly enjoyed the company and community of her nearby family members. In 1965 Nancy chose to attend Michigan State University and study education so that she could become a teacher. While at college she met William (Bill) Newton whom she married on March 15, 1969. They were together for fifty years until Bill’s death in April of 2019.

After having two kids (Robert and Deborah), Nancy and her family moved to Massachusetts in 1979, where she would spend the rest of her life. It is here several important developments in Nancy’s life unfolded. Nancy was a family-first, private person and believed strongly in familial ties. She was nervous about moving to Massachusetts yet thrilled at the prospect of living closer to her sister Debbie and her young family, and enjoying the beauty of Cape Cod. Professionally, Nancy was driven to have a career, to create a space for herself in a male-dominated professional world. She chose a new career path, that of human resources, and set about earning a graduate degree in Human Resources from Suffolk University in 1984. From here she managed a successful career in the corporate world of the Boston Globe. Nancy very much identified with the women’s liberation movement and remained determined to succeed in a space where women had yet to gain full acceptance. As a working mother she had to carefully navigate the competing demands of parenting and career. She never hesitated to sacrifice for what she thought her family needed. As a grandmother, she was the epitome of the doting type offering love, attention, and kindness in endless supply. Her love of family and warmth of heart were routinely expressed in the lives of everyone she touched.

Aside from family and career, Nancy always took pleasure in flowers, whether it be planting them, tending them, arranging them, as well as the birds that populated her yard. She received such pure joy from these natural phenomena, which speaks to the nurturing and caring nature of her soul. Nancy always maintained a small circle of friends where she drew great strength, support and most importantly -joy. Nancy will be missed as a mother, a friend, a sister, an aunt, and a grandmother, but most importantly as a loving, caring individual.

A memorial service is planned for 10:30am on Saturday, January 20 at the Cotuit Federated Church, 40 School Street, Cotuit, MA. If you feel so inclined, contributions can be given to the nurses’/staff emergency fund or the activity fund at Martisthill Nursing in memory: https://www.maristhill.org/ways-to-give/